[.ca] Small Spaces, Beautiful Gardens (ISBN 1564968316)

From Amazon.com:
Keith Davitt's Small Spaces, Beautiful Gardens celebrates the possibilities for awkward, undersized garden parcels, demonstrating convincingly that no space is too small to make a big impact. Lacking dimensionality, most small gardens can be taken in visually with one glance. Davitt offers solutions for creating a sense of spaciousness and surprise, even in the most cramped, unlikely location. A landscape designer, builder, photographer, and writer, Davitt draws on 16 projects from his own portfolio. "Before" and "after" photographs help illustrate both the process and principles of reconfiguring an outdoor space. Who could imagine, for example, that as ugly a duckling as a narrow, shaft-like urban lot surrounded on three sides by cinderblocks, painted brick, and metal piping could be transformed into an enchanting series of multi-leveled wood decks, enlivened with container plantings? Davitt's ideas are all the more convincing because he has photographed the gardens between peak bloom periods. Although spaces are lush with plant life, the book's emphasis is more on design than plant selection. Offering neither budget remedies nor step-by-step technical advice, Small Spaces, Beautiful Gardens is, itself, a beautiful book to pore over for inspiration. --Jennifer Wyatt

Small Spaces, Beautiful Gardens:
The ideal book for someone who is facing a vacant lot or garden wasteland and is interested in tapping the talent, inspiration and guidance of a gifted garden designer. Kevin Davitt takes the reader through a great number of his real life garden designs, challenging us to listen to the hidden "genius" in your prospective site. Eloquent and thoughtful, his writing is clear and encouraging, helping us to discover and visualize the sanctuary our garden space can become. Filled with beautiful photographs and drawings and side bars highlighting the key ideas in each project, we are gently introduced to the authors philosophy of space and nature. The author shares his years of experience and design wisdom so you can create a space that enhances your home and recharges and inspires your relationship to mother nature. A joy to read, makes you want to get outside and start building. Focuses on small urban and suburban garden designs, but ideas can apply to all garden design processes.

Hope for the hopeless garden:
This is THE book for the seemingly hopeless garden. Davitt repeatedly changes a small space into a grand escape. He also has lovely solutions for the light deprived space. I especially enjoyed the before and after photos.

Esthetically engaging and pleasureable:
The simplicity with which Keith Davitt has been able to convey complicated design concepts is extraordinary. He has combined this with exquisite illustrations and "before and after" photography. This book will inspire you with the confidence to transform even the most mundane of spaces into a visual and livable joy. It's also a must on our coffee table!

A great ideas for small gardens:
I found this book to be especially helpful in visualizing small gardens. I wish that he had included some of the plant names used and sample gardening diagrams, but overall it's a great book for ideas.

A Gem:
Keith Davitt has a wonderful vision of how dramatic a small space can be. The book is laid out beautifully. I loved the "before" pictures, his design drawings, and the terrific photos of the finished space. He truly knows how to create beautiful, lush, inviting gardens. I found this book to be absolutely delightful and incredibly informative.